Sport Nutrition for Diving A Practical Guide for Athletes and Coaches
Rob Skinner, MS,RD,CSSD,CSCS
Sport Dietitian, Acrobat and Combat Sports
United States Olympic Committee
United States Olympic Committee – Sport Performance Department Breaking Down a Healthy Diet for Divers
7 Foundations of a Healthy Diet
1. Healthy nutrition starts with planning. Mentally or physically map out meals and be sure this food is available. 2. Eat at regular intervals in the day. No longer than 4 hours without food. 3. Choose whole foods vs processed foods for the majority of your diet (90% of the time) (see ideas below) 4. Balance meals and snacks with carbs, protein, antioxidants and healthy fats (see healthy plate below) 5. A healthy relationship with food and your body. Eat for health/performance, not boredom, guilt or stress. 6. Choose liquids with minimal sugar like water, milk/soy/almond beverage, tea. Avoid juice, soda, energy drinks. 7. Enjoy “treats” in moderation – they taste better this way!
Whole Food Based Meal and Snack Ideas
Best Breakfasts Oatmeal, 1-2 eggs, handful of almonds Shake = 2 cups skim milk/soy/almond, 1 banana, 1 Best Lunch’s/Dinners Tbsp natural beanut butter Chicken breast salad w/ low fat dressing + fruit Mix - 6oz Greek yogurt + 1/3 cup whole granola + 1-2 Tuna salad mixed with low fat ranch salad dressing on Tsp dried cranberries wheat pita + 1 cup celery sticks 1-2 sl. whole grain toast with natural peanut butter + 1-2 cups vegetable soup + turkey sandwich on whole 1 cup skim chocolate milk/soy grain bread 1-2 cups high pro cereal (eg. Kashi) + 1 cup skim milk Tofu, chicken or beef stir fry with veggies, brown rice Salmon, trout or whitefish + couscous + steamed Best Snacks vegetables 6oz Greek style yogurt + small fruit 1-2 cups of vegetarian, turkey or lean beef chili + 1 ½ scoop whey + 1.5 cups skim milk/soy cup carrots 1 cup of vegetable sticks + 2 Tsp hummus Lean beef steak + baked potato/sweet potato + side ½ cup skim cottage cheese + 1 fruit spinach salads. Natural nutrition bars (look at ingredient. list)
Healthy Plate for Weight Management
Healthy Plate GraphicTips Created for by: Weight University Management of Colorado at Colorado Springs
Created by Jenn Gibson, MS,Rd Page 2 On-Deck Nutrition & Hydration Strategies for Training & Competition
Common Fueling Mistakes How this Impacts Performance How to Correct
UNDERFUELING Reduced energy over the See Top 5 Pre-Diving & Not eating very much before training or competition session On Deck Fuels below practice/competition. Usually due Only perform at 60-75% of Aim for easy to digest, to not wanting to feel full (aerial physical and mental potential low fat foods with a moves & nerves), and wanting to Increased risk for mistakes & combination of carbs + look slim in swimsuit. therefore injury protein
OVER EATING POST TRAINING Overeating can result in poor Have a small amount of Not eating or drinking enough body weight management. sugar & balanced before activity results in low blood Fueling timing is wrong, you recovery snack to sugar & hunger, leading to the need the energy before sustain energy & possibility of over eating training. This can impact prevent overeating. See afterwards. performance. On Deck Fuels below. DEHYDRATION Lack of concentration See Hydration Tips for Many athletes arrive to training & Reduction in skill ability Divers below. competition in a dehydrated state, Early fatigue Visit Team USA Sport usually due to poor planning. High perceived exertion in Nutrition’s webpage to Divers tend to drink less due to not training download a great feeling “warm” b/c of the cooling Delayed recovery Hydration factsheet! effect of water and drafty climate Muscle cramps on deck.
Top 5 Pre & Post Diving Snacks Top 5 On Deck Fuels
1. ½-1 cup rice cereal/oatmeal + skim/soy milk 1. Water + diluted sport drink 2. Banana or apple + 1Tbsp peanut butter 2. Banana 3. 6oz Greek yogurt 3. ½ cup dried fruit
4. Fruit + protein (milk, whey) smoothie 4. Applesauce (in squeezable tube) 5. Sport nutrition bar 5. 1 package sport gels, bites or blocks.
Hydration Tips for Divers
Aim for a baseline of hydration of 8-10 cups per day OUTSIDE of training. Water, diluted juice, tea, milk all count as fluids Listen to your thirst - It’s there to tell you when you are dehydrated! Pre-hydrate before training with 6-10oz of fluid 1-2 hours before hand. Aim for a hydrated urine color before diving (#1 or #2) on the urine chart.
Bring a water bottle on deck filled with water or diluted sport drink, and place it somewhere visible so you remember to hydrate. For longer events in hot and humid environments, you may need to set a schedule for hydration, 3-4 gulps about every 20 minutes. Hydrate after training with at least 8-16oz of fluids and use urine color as a guide.
Page 3 Created by Jenn Gibson, MS,Rd
Sample Nutrition Plan - Diving Competition Day
Time Event What to Eat
7:00am- Breakfast Aim for easy to digest, low fat foods & combination of carbs + protein for 7:30am ideally 2-4 a sustained energy release hours before Eg. 2-3 eggs (boiled or scrambled), ½ an English muffin, banana Check urine color for hydration
7:30am- Frequent sips of water 9:00am Check urine color. Should be pale yellow (#1/#2 on urine chart)
9:00am- Warm up & On Deck Nutrition Fuels 12:00pm diving Eg. Applesauce in a squeeze package preliminaries Aim for a few small bites every hour Frequent sips of water &/or diluted sport drink
12:00pm- Lunch ideally Aim for easy to digest, low fat foods & combination of carbs + protein! 1:30pm 2-4 hours Broth or vegetable based soup + ½-1 turkey sandwich/wrap before next Chicken salad with fruit session Meal replacement smoothie Fish or chicken + Steamed rice + carrots Minimum 8-16oz water + Check urine color
1:30pm- Frequent sips of water 4:00pm Check urine color! Should be pale yellow (#1/#2 on urine chart)
4:00pm- Pre diving Aim for easy to digest, low fat foods & combination of carbs + protein. 6:00pm snack ideally Eg. Banana or apple + 1 Tbsp peanut butter 1-2 hours Frequent sips of water before Check urine color. Should be pale yellow (#1/#2 on urine chart)
6:00pm- Warm up & On Deck Nutrition Fuels 9:00pm finals Eg. Banana Aim for a few small bites every hour. Frequent sips of water &/or diluted sport drink
9:00pm Dinner Aim to follow the healthy plate model for this meal (veggies, lean protein + carb). Frequent sips of water at dinner
Page 4 Created by Jenn Gibson, MS,Rd Athlete Grocery Shopping List
Instructions – bring this shopping list with you to the grocery store. This should ensure you have the essentials to make your own meals and snacks for the week.
Travel Shopping Checklist
Granola bars – eg. Nature Valley, Kashi Sport bars – PR Bars, Cliff, PowerBar Harvest bars Fruit leather bars Dried fruits – prunes, cranberries, raisins Fruit and nut trail mix PowerAde Powder Peanut butter, Honey, Jam Powdered meal supplement – eg. Carnation Instant Breakfast packets and or Boost Protein powder – approved by sport dietitian Sachets of tuna Crackers, tortillas, pretzels
Page 5 Created by Jenn Gibson, MS,Rd